The Unfit Majority: A Research Study of the Rehabilitation of Selective Service Rejectees in South Carolina. Final Report for: Experimental Demonstration Project for Servicing Selective Service Rejectees.

Clements, Hubert M.; And Others

A 3-year demonstration project focused on the vocational rehabilitation rehabilitation of selective service rejectees in a five-county area in Central South Carolina. In 1962, over 50 percent of South Carolina's young men who were examined for military service were rejected for failure to meet physical and/or mental requirements. Of 1,450 selective service rejectees, 347 received further evaluation by the project staff and 112 were accepted for vocational rehabilitation services. Clients with physical impairments were further examined to determine whether surgery and/or treatment might correct or substantially reduce the impairment. Clients who had no marketable skill and were trainable were provided vocational training in on-the-job situations. Final results indicate that 95 clients accepted for rehabilitation services were placed in competitive employment. Also, in more than half of the cases (52.7 percent) the cost of all services provided for rejectee-clients totaled $100 or less. The study tends to verify beliefs that for a small outlay of funds and through vocational rehabilitation efforts, military rejectees can become contributing members of a competitive society. (CH)